Ghana to tap Egypt’s expertise for new capital city, housing projects

President John Dramani Mahama has stated that Ghana will leverage Egypt’s technical expertise and experience in developing its New Administrative Capital as the country advances plans for a new capital city and expands its social housing programme.

The President said this after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the sidelines of the 8th African Union Mid-Year Coordination Summit.

According to President Mahama, the two leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation and support Ghana’s development priorities, including urban development, housing, healthcare and security.

“As Ghana plans a new capital city and expands social housing, we look forward to leveraging Egypt’s technical expertise and experience from the New Administrative Capital,” President Mahama said in a social media post on Monday, October 5.

Ghana’s proposed new city is intended to help address the increasing pressure on Accra, which has faced rapid urbanisation, traffic congestion and inadequate infrastructure.

President Mahama previously disclosed that government is undertaking design and feasibility studies for the proposed city, which he said could be located on the Accra plains and stretch across parts of the Greater Accra, Eastern and Volta regions.

He said the proposed development could serve as a secondary administrative and commercial hub, with plans for a railway link and an expressway connecting it to Accra.

The President’s latest comments indicate that Ghana is looking to draw lessons from Egypt’s experience as it develops the project.

Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, announced in 2015, is located east of Cairo and covers about 170,000 feddans, equivalent to roughly 688 square kilometres.

It was conceived as a new administrative, economic and cultural hub and as part of efforts to ease congestion in Cairo.

The Egyptian project incorporates government offices, residential areas and smart-city infrastructure.

Egypt has also been relocating ministries and government agencies to the new city, with more than 100 government agencies having moved there by 2023.